The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
Edited by Emily Pritchard
Nicole Webb, Curator of Collections, from The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula has
supervised several interns over the years. In fact, she participated in one of the Museum
internships herself when she was in school. “We strive to help all interns at the Museum
complete their internship with a new line on the resume that will represent their achievements
and knowledge to any future employer.”
What is The Historical Museum
at Fort Missoula?
“The Historical Museum at Fort
Missoula is the Missoula County
historical museum. The Museum is
located in the 1910 Storehouse at
Fort Missoula and has three changing
exhibit galleries. On our 32-acre
grounds are a variety of historic
buildings including those original to
Fort Missoula, as well as others
moved to the museum to be
interpreted and preserved from
around Missoula County. These
buildings include the NonCommissioned Officer’s Quarters
(NCO), the Grant Creek
Schoolhouse, the Hellgate chapel and
Sliderock Lookout.”
Why do you take on interns?
“The Museum has a very small staff of only seven full-time and part-time individuals- so interns are
extremely valuable members of the team. Because our staff is so small, interns are able to have a
really hands-on experience in all of the different departments of the museum. The museum has had
interns in both the collections department and education department for over 10 years.”
Are there different types of internship opportunities available for students?
“At the Museum, the education and collection/exhibit departments offer the most internship
possibilities. Within those departments there are two levels of internships available. The first level
requires a minimum of 8 hours per week and is unpaid. The second level is the Browman Fellowship
within the collections department, and the Living History Internship offered through the education
department. These two internships are limited per year, require at least 16 hours per week and come
with a $1,000 stipend. Schedules and hours are flexible and we will work to fit projects within an
academic schedule.”
Describe some of the tasks interns work on.
“The Museum offers a wide variety of internships and projects and is more than willing to
accommodate certain interests, backgrounds and goals. In the education department past internships
have included working on visitor surveys, helping develop tours and curriculum, and creating thirdperson interpretive docent tours. In the collections department past internships have included
helping with object inventories, researching and designing exhibits, and writing for the Museum
blog.”
Callison Straton conducting research at The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula library.
What is the work environment like for a student intern? Do you offer any special trainings
etc.?
“After identifying a project and initial training, interns are expected to work comfortably on their
own. That being said, museum staff is happy to provide further instruction and collaboration as
needed. The work environment inside the museum is general fairly quiet, unless you are working
with a school group- then it could be quite noisy.”
“Throughout the year the Museum offers a variety of professional development trainings, lectures
and events that interns can partake in, depending on the time of year and availability.”
Did you do an internship as a student? How did your own experiences as student shape
your career?
“I actually completed the Browman Fellowship at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula before I
took over as the Curator of Collections. Since high school I have volunteered and interned at a
variety of museums. I certainly know the importance that experience in the ‘real world’ has for
students and how internships can really help build a resume. We strive to help all interns at the
Museum complete their internship with a new line on the resume that will represent their
achievements and knowledge to any future employer. We have had many interns leave our museum
and go on to grad school and higher-level careers in the museum and non-profit world.”
Do you have any advice for
students seeking
internships or other
experiences in curation?
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula staff
“There’s no doubt that
finding a job after school is
never an easy task. I truly
believe that even with a
bachelor’s and master’s
degree, it was the
experiences I’ve had from
internships that got me to
where I am today. Its always
rewarding to get out of the
classroom and get some real
world experiences- its those
instances that you’ll be able
to use during a job interview
to show a future employeryes I can actually do this job
because I have the experience
to back me up!”
When and how do you advertise for interns? How many do you generally have at a time?
“We have information about available internships on our website, www.fortmissoulamuseum.org.
We also advertise on through the University of Montana Internship Services’ Griz eRecruiting and
work closely with professors within different departments at the University. We have had as many as
5-8 interns during one semester; it mostly depends on project availability. We have both unpaid and
paid internship options depending on schedule flexibility.”
Are you looking for students
from specific majors, years in
school, or with specific
qualifications?
“Interns in the past have come
from a variety of different
backgrounds including education,
history, non-profit work, english
and anthropology- so we do not
require a specific major or
number of years in school. We
have also had many interns with
no museum experience at all- but
do appreciate a general interest in
history!”
Paul Hutton works with archival collections during his
internship.
For more information head to our website, www.fortmissoulamuseum.org or check out available
positions on Griz eRecruiting!